No Where Else
by MobBob
Summary: Tori is devastated when something traumatic comes back into her life. Unable to cope by herself, she turns to her friends and family to help her pull through. However, she's surprised when Jade of all people offers a helping hand.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm going to go on vacation for a while. I was really hoping to get this story and "Family Dinner" done before I left, but I couldn't. So I'm going to publish what I've got and finish them when I get back. Hope you guys can wait until then.**

Trina marched over to the table where Tori was sitting with her friends. They were talking about something that had happened in class. "I just don't know how Sikowitz expects us to-"

"Tori!"

Tori turned around to her sister. "Yes Trina."

"Did you check the mail this morning?" said Trina.

"No," said Tori. "Why?"

Trina groaned. "Because I'm expecting a package."

"A package?" said Tori.

"Yes," said Trina. "A package. I ordered something online and it was supposed to come this week."

"What'd you order?" said Cat.

"None of your business," said Trina. "It's something personal."

Jade, who was working on her salad, raised an eyebrow. "Wait, I thought you were saving up for your surgery? How'd you get the money to afford whatever it is you bought?"

"Wait back up," said Andre. "Trina needs surgery?"

"This is the first I'm hearing about this," said Beck.

"Is it serious?" said Robbie.

"Nope," said Trina. "No surgery. I don't know what she's talking about."

"Trina wants to get a minor cosmetic surgery when she turns eighteen," said Jade.

"Oh, I got two guesses what it's for," said Rex.

"Nope, nope, no idea what she's talking about," said Trina as she ran off.

The rest of the table turned to Jade. Robbie spoke. "So Trina wants cosmetic surgery?"

"Yeah," said Jade. "That's what the whole kissing booth thing was about."

"Kissing booth?" said Andre.

"She set up a kissing booth a few weeks ago to raise some extra money," said Jade. "Me and Tori helped her out."

"You did what now?" said Beck.

Rex's head turned to Tori. "Jade and Tori?"

"Hey, I only did it because I thought I was helping the booster club," said Tori.

"You kissed more guys than I did," said Jade.

"How many guys did you kiss?" said Beck.

"Where was I during all this?" said Rex.

"I thought I was helping the booster club!" said Tori.

"I didn't know you were in booster club." The gang turned around to see Sikowitz standing behind them.

"No," said Tori. "I've been banned from joining."

"Why were you...never mind," said Sikowitz. "I've got something more important to talk to you about. Can you come to my classroom?"

"Okay." Tori and her friends got up.

"Is this about your assignment?" said Beck. "Because if it is, I think it's fair to say-"

"No," said Sikowitz. "And I just need Tori. You guys can stay here."

"Alright." Tori turned to her friends. "I guess I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah, see you," said Andre.

"Bye bye," said Cat.

"Well talk about you when you're gone," said Jade.

"Thanks." Tori turned around to follow Sikowitz.

When she was out of sight, Andre turned to Jade. "Okay, so what happened with Trina's kissing booth?"

* * *

Tori followed Sikowitz to his classroom. "So, what's this about? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing you did," said Sikowitz.

"So what's this about then?" said Tori.

Sikowitz sighed. "Look, I'm not the guy to explain this to you."

"Why?" said Tori. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain it when we get to my classroom," said Sikowitz. "Too many people here."

"They're not that loud." Sikowitz continued walking, ignoring Tori's observation. When they reached Sikowitz's classroom, Tori saw Trina standing outside the door. "Trina, what're you doing here?"

"Sikowitz told me to meet him here," said Trina.

"You too?" Tori turned to her teacher. "Okay, what's going on? Why do you need to talk to me and Trina?"

"You'll see soon enough." Sikowitz motioned for the two girls to enter the classroom.

Tori walked into the room and Trina followed. When she entered the room, Tori froze, her purse dropping to the floor. She turned around, staring directly back at Sikowitz. "What's going on?"

"It's best if he explains it," said Sikowitz, pointing to the front of his classroom where a police officer was standing.

Tori's lip was quivering. "Did something happen to Dad?"

The officer extended his hand towards the two Vega girls. "My name is officer Stan Merkel."

Trina shook his hand. "Hello officer Merkel. My name is Trina and this is my sister Tori."

"I know," said Merkel.

"Why are you here?" said Tori.

"Just tell her," said Sikowitz. "You aren't making it easier on her by keeping her in the dark."

Merkel sighed. "Look, this isn't going to be easy to explain."

* * *

Jade, Beck, Andre, Cat, and Robbie walked through the hallway to Sikowitz's class. Beck and Jade were still bickering. "Look Beck, I only did it because I thought I'd get a cut of the money. I wouldn't have done it otherwise."

"I'd just like to be informed about these things in the future," said Beck.

Jade sighed. "Fine, the next time I kiss other guys I'll tell you. Happy?"

"No, not in the least," said Beck, following Jade as she darted into Sikowitz's classroom.

"Well then I don't know what you want," said Jade.

"Hey," said Andre. "Where's Tori?"

"She isn't here?" said Robbie.

Andre scanned the room. "I don't see her."

"I wonder if this has to do with why Sikowitz wanted to see her," said Beck.

"Yeah," said Andre. "What do you think that was about?"

"Maybe Hollywood Arts realized she isn't talented and kicked her out?" said Jade.

"You're such a good friend," said Beck.

"What?" said Jade. "I said maybe. It's not like I want that to happen. Maybe she caught a rare disease and has twelve hours to live. Do you think I want that to happen?"

At that moment, Sikowitz entered the classroom. "Hello students. I hope you've all been working on your assignment."

"Hey Sikowitz," said Andre. "Where's Tori?"

"She had to leave," said Sikowitz.

"Why?" said Beck.

"Something came up," said Sikowitz. "Something personal."

"Is she sick?" said Jade.

"No, she'll be fine," said Sikowitz. "Now, take your seats and let's get on with the lesson."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm back. I'm going to be focused on wrapping up "Family Dinner" before I finish this, so don't be surprised if I update that before this one.**

The bell to dismiss class rang. "Alright class, that's it. Hope you all have a great weekend."

Sikowitz went over to the board and started erasing as his students grabbed there things and left the room. Beck got out of his chair, putting his phone in his pocket. However, while his classmates headed towards the hall, Beck walked up to Sikowitz. Andre, Robbie, Cat, and Jade stayed in the room too. Standing by the door, they watched as their friend approached their teacher. Robbie seemed to be the only one who bothered to pretend not to be watching Beck. He made a big show of putting his stuff away in his backpack. When he ran out of things to put away, he shoved Rex in his bag head first. When Robbie put on his backpack, it appeared as if a small child's legs were sticking out of it. The rest were intently focused on their friend. Beck stood behind Sikowitz for a moment. Sikowitz didn't seem to notice. "Um Sikowitz."

"Yes Beck," said Sikowitz, still erasing the board. "Is this about the assignment? Because I know you guys can handle it."

"Well I'd disagree, but this isn't about the assignment," said Beck.

"Then what's it about?" said Sikowitz.

"This is about Tori," said Beck.

"What about Tori?" said Sikowitz. Despite his nonchalant tone, Sikowitz seemed to be shaken by Beck's question. The eraser almost slipped from his hand. He proceeded to erase a section of the board that he'd already erased. "Something came up and she had to leave. That's all."

"Okay," said Beck. "But what came up?"

"Nothing that you need to know about," said Sikowitz. At this point, the board was completely erased, but Sikowitz continued to run the eraser over it.

"But I'm her friend," said Beck. "What's so bad that I can't-"

"Beck!" said Sikowitz, turning away from the board to face his student. He leaned in close to Beck, forcing the teen to move backwards. Sikowitz's eyes met Beck's. He put his hand on his student's shoulder. "Look, I know you're concerned about your friend, just as I'm concerned about my students. But, you have to realize that sometimes there are things you don't need to know about. Understand?"

"Understood," said Beck.

"Good," said Sikowitz. He took his hands off of Beck's shoulder.

"I'll just get going," said Beck as he walked away from his teacher. "Better work on that assignment."

"Trust me," said Sikowitz. "It's better this way."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Beck rubbed his shoulder as he walked away. He turned to his friends, who were already bolting from the classroom. When Beck got outside, he could see they were walking away from the classroom at a very quick pace. Beck caught up with them as they walked through the halls. He was breathing hard and had to stop briefly to collect himself. "That's the first time I've been scared of Sikowitz."

"You can say that again," said Andre.

"Something's going on," said Beck.

"Really?" said Jade. "What was your first clue?"

"I mean what could be so bad that he won't tell us about it?" said Beck.

"Well, first we got to figure out what happened to Tori," said Andre. "What could make her just disappear?"

"I've got a few ideas," said Jade with a smirk on her face.

"Oh please tell us," said Beck. "I'm sure you've given this a lot of thought."

"Oh," said Cat. "My brother got to leave school early so he could go to a special hospital. Maybe Tori went there?"

"I don't think that's what happened," said Beck.

"Are you sure?" said Cat. "I can ask my brother if he's seen her there."

"Hey Cat," said Robbie, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Do you want to see the picture of the goat wearing sunglasses?"

"I love animals with sunglasses!" Cat was bouncing up and down. Robbie held out his phone for Cat, who enthusiastically grabbed it and stared at the screen. She was so excited, she'd almost knocked Robbie over when she took the phone from him. Robbie got behind her and pointed to the news story. Her face lit up as Robbie pulled up the article. "Ha ha. Goats don't normally dress like that."

"So, back to Tori," said Andre. "Has anyone tried texting her?"

"I did," said Beck. "She hasn't responded yet."

"You texted her?" said Jade. "When?"

"During class," said Beck. "I asked her why she wasn't in class."

"And when were you going to tell me about it?" said Jade.

"I told you right now," said Beck. "What's the big deal?"

"I just don't see why you had to be the one to text Tori," said Jade. "Like maybe I wanted to text Tori?"

"We want to find out where she is," said Beck. "Not scare her away."

"Uh, what are you implying?" said Jade.

"I think you know what I'm implying," said Beck.

"Maybe you should text her again?" said Andre. "Maybe she'll respond this time."

"I think we all should text her," said Jade.

"Hey guys," said Cat. "You might want to see this."

"Not now," said Beck. "We'll look at the goat later."

"You know, Tori's my friend too," said Jade. "I want to know what's going on with her just as much as you."

"I'm sure you do," said Beck.

"We don't have time for this," said Andre. "Tori might be in big trouble. Can you two just stop fighting."

"Hey, you guys really need to see this," said Cat, holding up the phone.

"Later," said Beck. "Maybe we should text Trina and see if she-"

"Uh guys," said Robbie. "Cat's right. You should see this."

"What is it?" said Andre.

"Here." Cat handed the phone to Beck.

Beck took the phone. "What is it?"

"It's a news story that we just saw," said Robbie. "It's about...well maybe you should read it for yourselves."

Beck looked at the phone. Jade and Andre got behind him, reading the story over his shoulder. Beck's eyes widened as he read the story. "Oh boy."

* * *

Tori sat on her couch, staring at the wall. Trina was on the phone. "Okay grandma. Thanks for the help. It's nice to talk to you."

When Trina put down the phone, Tori jumped. She turned to her sister. "What'd she say?"

"She says Mom hasn't arrived yet," said Trina. "She told me she'll call us when she show up."

Tori groaned and took a deep breath. She reached for the phone. "We need to try to call them again."

"We can't," said Trina, taking the phone and holding it out of reach from Tori. "Tori, Tori, we can't. She's still on the plane."

"They have Wi-Fi on the plane," said Tori. "We can contact her using video chat. I'll get my laptop."

Tori went to get up from the couch, but Trina got up first and shoved her down. "No! Tori, you need to take a deep breath and calm down."

"How can I be calm at a time like this?" said Tori.

"Take a deep breath," said Trina, who proceeded to pick up the remote and turn on the television. "Maybe watch some TV to take your mind off things. Oh look, there's reruns of _Drake and Josh._ "

"I don't want to watch _Drake and Josh_ ," said Tori. "I want to talk to Mom!"

"You will when her plane lands!" said Trina. She placed her arm on Tori's chest and held her sister down. "Until then you need to relax."

"How can you off all people be so calm?" said Tori, who was trying to get out from Trina's arm. "Earlier today you were freaking out because you didn't get your delivery."

"Because people need me to be a rock in times like this," said Trina.

"Yeah no," said Tori. "I want to talk to Mom."

"Not until the plane lands!" said Trina. At that moment, the doorbell rang. The Vega sisters froze. "Who's that?"

"I don't know," said Tori.

"Did you invite someone over?" said Trina.

"No," said Tori.

"Okay," said Trina. "I'll check the door. You stay here."

"Okay." Tori curled up in a ball, burying her head under a pillow.

Trina made her way to the door. When she reached the door, she quickly turned around to face Tori, who was peaking out from under her pillow. Tori ducked back under the pillow as her sister glared at her. Trina turned back to the door and peaked in the door hole. "Hey, it's Beck."

Tori tossed the pillow aside. "Beck? What's he doing here?"

"I don't know." Trina opened the door. "Hey Beck. Oh and he brought your friends."

Trina stood aside to let Beck in through the door. He was followed by Jade, Andre, Robbie, and Cat. "Hey Tori, we figured we'd stop by and see how you're doing."

"I know, it was kind of weird that I left school early," said Tori. "But guys, you shouldn't be here."

"We know," said Andre.

"You know?" said Tori. "Did Sikowitz tell?"

"No," said Beck. "There was a story about it online. We know Crazy Ponnie broke out."

Tori's head sunk. "I should've known it'd get out. Look, I really appreciate the gesture, but you shouldn't be here. It's not safe."

"All the more reason to be here," said Beck.

"We're not going to be scared off by some maniac," said Andre.

"You don't know who you're up against," said Tori.

"We know you and Trina were able to fight her off," said Andre. "So we should be more than enough to stop her."

"Yeah," said Robbie. "And you've got police protection, right?"

Tori bit her lip. "Not really?"

"What do you mean not really?" said Robbie.

Tori sighed. "They don't think she going to come after me."

"Why not?" said Robbie.

Tori rolled her eyes. "Well she has some family in Nevada, she was last seen on the highway, headed towards Nevada, and they found a tourist guide to Nevada in her cell."

"Sounds like she's going to Nevada," said Cat.

"Well that's what the police seem to think," said Tori.

"What about your parents?" said Beck.

"They're both out of town," said Tori.

"Yeah," said Trina. "Mom went to visit family. I tried calling, but she hasn't even landed yet. Dad's away at a police conference. The department told him about what happened and he's coming home, but his flight doesn't leave until tomorrow."

"So you guys are all alone?" said Jade. "Anyone could just sneak in here."

"Thanks Jade," said Tori. "I hadn't thought of that before."

Beck glared at Jade, but then turned to Tori. "Well you don't have to be alone. We'll stay here."

"You will?" said Tori.

"Yeah," said Andre. "We don't have any plans."

"And we can work on Sikowitz's assignment," said Robbie.

"We won't let her..." Cat looked at the television. "Oh I love this episode."

"This is crazy," said Tori. "So what, are you guys are going to stay with me all night?"

"Of course not," said Beck.

"Call us if you make it through the night," said Jade.

"The thing is, you two aren't going to going to stay here," said Beck.

"What?" said Tori.

"What?" said Trina.

"What?" said Jade.

"Think about it, this is the first place Ponnie's going to go if she comes after you," said Beck. "You should-"

"You should stay with me," said Jade. "I'm staying with my Mom this weekend and I'm sure she'll let you and Trina stay with us."

Tori's eyes widened. Beck also looked confused. "Wait what? You want us to stay with you?"

"Yes," said Jade. "Do you have a problem with me?"

"No," said Tori. "I'm just confused why you want us to stay with you."

"Same here," said Andre.

Jade sighed. "Because you're my friend and because it makes the most sense."

"How so?" said Tori.

"Well she's not going to having any trouble breaking into Beck's trailer," said Jade.

"Fair point," said Beck.

Jade pointed towards Cat and Robbie. "And you don't want those guys looking after you."

"Fair point," said Robbie.

Cat sat on the couch, laughing. "They're trying to put the sushi away, but it's coming in too fast."

"What about me?" said Andre. "Why can't Tori and Trina stay with me?"

"Because Ponnie won't be expecting Tori to be staying with me," said Jade.

Tori looked at Jade for a moment. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"It's not a bad idea," said Beck.

"So it's settled then," said Jade. "The Vegas will stay with me tonight."

Tori sighed. "Looking forward to it."


	3. Chapter 3

Once they had finished with Sikowitz's assignment, the group headed out, with Trina and Tori going with Jade. In the event that Ponnie was watching them, it was decided that Andre and Beck would go home with decoy Toris in their cars. Cat would go with Andre and Robbie would go with Beck. Both Cat and Robbie would wear a pair of sunglasses, a brunette wig, and a hat. To keep up the charade, Tori would also wear sunglasses and a hat. In addition to that, Robbie had to put on lipstick. Robbie was initially reluctant to do this, but came around after Andre and Beck talked to him. It was pointed out that an observer could tell which car had the real Tori by seeing which on had Trina in it. As a result, Trina was forced to sit on the floor of the car as they drove to Jade's house.

Tori's first impression of Jade's house was that it was nice. It wasn't as fancy as the Vega residence, but it was still looked like a nice place to live. To Tori's surprise, the house seemed normal. This impression was further supported when she and Trina got inside. Jade didn't say anything or offer an explanation of her home. She just let the Vega sisters take everything in as they followed her. The whole thing looked like your typical Los Angeles home. There was no dilapitated furniture. The wallpaper wasn't peeling away. There weren't any vermin or other pests running about. Really, everything pointed to the possibility that Jade had grown up in a fairly normal house. Jade continued to lead the sisters through her home and up a staircase, eventually bringing them to her room. Jade's room was the lone exception, looking like it'd been decorated by a resurrected Edgar Allen Poe. Jade's room was decorated with dark colors, clashing with the house's lighter coloring. The only other color seemed to be blood red which appeared on Jade's lampshades, scented candles, and a few small tables. There were also the butterflies she kept framed around the room. It seemed as if Jade was deliberately trying to set herself apart from the rest of the house.

Jade turned to the Vega sisters. "Okay, so that was the tour."

"Well, your house is very nice," said Tori.

"I know," said Jade.

"I really like you room," said Tori.

"You do?" said Jade. "What do you like about it?"

"I really like the butterflies," said Tori.

"Moths," said Jade. "They're moths not butterflies. Moths come out at night."

"I did not know that," said Tori. "Are you into bugs or something?"

"Not bugs per say. I just really have a fondness for creatures that live in darkness." Jade spoke like someone out of a horror movie.

"Uh, thanks for letting us stay here," said Tori.

"Don't mention it, what are friends for?" said Jade in a tone that a chill through Tori's spine.

"Right," said Tori. "And you were right. You're house is much better than Beck's. I mean, what would we have done at his place?"

Jade glared at Tori. "I don't know. What would you have done with Beck?"

"I don't know," said Tori. "It'd probably be pretty boring."

"So where do we sleep?" said Trina.

"Good question," said Jade. "Where do you want to sleep?"

"You know, we're fine wherever," said Tori, knowing that Jade had planned on making them sleep somewhere that was extremely uncomfortable. "We're just happy to have somewhere to sleep during this troubling time. Just put us somewhere that's safe from Ponnie and we'll be fine."

"Interesting," said Jade. "Well maybe you can sleep on the floor?"

"What?" said both Vega sisters.

Jade sat on her bed and pointed to the floor adjacent to it. "Right here. That way I can keep an eye on you in case Crazy Ponnie shows up."

"That sounds great," said Tori. "Me and Trina would love to sleep there."

"No," said Trina. "There's not nearly enough room for the both of us to sleep."

"We can make it work," said Tori. "We'll just move things around so we have enough space."

"Trina can have the couch if she doesn't want to sleep on the floor," said Jade. "Tori will still sleep on the floor."

"That also sounds great," said Tori, resisting the urge to grind her teeth. She knew that despite all her smiles and politeness, Jade was enjoying this. She loved that now Tori would have to sleep on the floor while she and Trina got to sleep somewhere comfortable.

"No it doesn't," said Trina. "I don't want to be all by myself if Crazy Ponnie finds us."

"She's after me," said Tori. "She doesn't want anything to do with you."

"Oh right." Trina turned to Jade. "I'm fine with this."

"Great," said Jade, getting off her bed and heading towards the door of her room. "Well I'll leave Tori to set up her things. I'll call you guys when dinner's ready."

"What's for dinner?" said Trina.

"Depends what mom brings home," said Jade as she walked out of her room.

Once Jade had left the room, Trina turned to her sister. "Okay Tori, maybe if we move some of those creepy things around we can clear a space for you to sleep comfortably? What do you think about that? Does that sound nice?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm going to do," said Tori as she started moving a winged-back chair Jade had in her room for some reason.

"Okay, I'll help you," said Trina.

Tori paused. "No, I can do this by myself. Maybe you can set up by the couch?"

"What's there to set up?" said Trina. "You just plop yourself down on the couch and go to sleep. I can help you move that chair."

"No, I've got it," said Tori.

"Okay," said Trina. "Well you still got to set up a place for you to sleep. I'll ask Jade if she's got a sleeping bag for you to sleep in."

"I don't think Jade..." Trina rushed out of the room. Tori shrugged and went back to moving the chair. Once she'd moved the chair and some of the tables out of the way, Tori sat down on Jade's bed. She looked down on the section of the floor she'd just clear. There was more than enough room for her to set up a place for her to sleep comfortably. Tori looked around the room. She never had trouble sleeping in other peoples' houses. She was perfectly fine at sleepovers. Yet, for some reason she was uncomfortable now. Well, Tori had an idea why. She just couldn't decide if it was because of Jade or Ponnie.

In a lot of ways, Jade and Ponnie were very similar. Tori had tried to be nice to the two, but both had felt wronged by her. Well, in Jade's case it was kind of justified. Kissing Beck was a bad idea on Tori's part, even if it felt good in the moment. Still, Tori had tried to make it up to her. She'd even helped Jade get back together with Beck after they broke up. Yet, Jade didn't seem to want to let go of that grudge. Even now, when Jade was offering to let them stay at her home, Tori knew something was up. She suspected that Jade just wanted a chance to torment her, and not just by making her sleep on the floor.

In a weird way, Tori couldn't really blame Ponnie for what she did. Ponnie was much worse, but she couldn't help it. She was sick. Maybe Ponnie really believed she was kicked out of Hollywood arts to make room for Tori. Maybe if she had some therapy and strong medications the two could be friends. Jade on the other hand had complete control of her faculties.

As Tori sat there, she heard Jade's voice ring through the air. "Dinner!"

Tori got off of Jade's bed and left the room. She went down the staircase and headed towards where she'd seen the kitchen. She saw a stack of pizzas on the table. Jade stood over the table, facing Tori. Tori could see Trina sitting at the table. There were three plates set out around the table. "So we're having pizza?"

"Yes, very observant," said Jade.

"And you're a very polite host," said Tori. "So, where's your mom?"

"Probably watching some reality show," said Jade.

"Is she eating with us?" said Tori.

Jade shook her head. "Lately she doesn't eat anything unless it's in smoothie form. Something about proving a point to Dad."

"Well don't you have a brother?" said Tori.

"Yeah," said Jade.

"Does he want to eat?" said Tori.

"Oh right." Jade walked out of the kitchen and over to the staircase. "Lyman! Dinner's ready!"

Jade walked back to the table and opened one of the pizza boxes. Tori raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we wait for him?"

"He'll come down eventually," said Jade, taking a slice of pizza from the box. "Pepperoni. Yum."

Tori sat down at the table by a plate. "Well, it's a shame your mother couldn't be with us."

"Why?" Jade held a slice of pizza in front of her, ready to take a bite. She glared at Tori, as if she were annoyed that she had to delay taking the first bite.

"Well, I just wanted to thank her for letting us stay here," said Tori.

"She doesn't know you're staying here," said Jade.

"You haven't told her yet?" said Trina as she reached for a slice of pizza.

"Oh she won't mind," said Jade.

"Good to know." Tori picked a slice of pizza and began eating.

"Hey, I found a sleeping bag for you," said Jade.

Tori swallowed a bit of pizza. "Thanks Jade."

"It's a little on the small side," said Jade. "And it's got a few holes in it."

"Of course." Tori nodded her head. She wondered if Jade had put those holes there herself.

"You know, it's a good thing for you that Crazy Ponnie broke out this week," said Jade.

"Why is that Jade?" said Tori.

"My Mom has me for this weekend," said Jade. "Normally I'd be with my Dad, and I don't think he would've let you stay with us."

"That's nice to know," said Tori.

"He's in San Francisco for a job interview," said Jade.

"Oh," said Tori. "So if he gets the job, does that mean we'll be seeing less of you?"

Jade snorted. "Yeah _if_."

The three continued to eat in relative silence. Jade was more focused on her food than on her friends. Tori would be lying if she said she wanted to continue their chit chat. Trina was instead focused on her phone. She looked up and turned to Jade. "Hey Jade, how's the reception in your house?"

"Pretty good," said Jade. "Why?"

"Oh nothing," said Trina. "I just wanted to check my phone."

"Why?" said Tori.

"I was expecting a text from a cute Senior," said Trina.

"Who?" said Jade.

Trina bit her lip. "His name is-"

"Wait, shouldn't Mom have landed by now?" said Tori.

"No, no," said Trina. "I'm pretty sure she's still in the air."

"Don't lie," said Tori. "You're a terrible actress."

"Maybe to an amateur like you," said Trina.

"Mom was supposed to text us when she landed," said Tori. "Is that why you're checking your phone?"

"No," said Trina. "There's a cute-"

"Did Mom text you?" said Tori. "Yes or no?"

"No," said Trina. "Not yet."

Tori's eyes widened and she started breathing heavily. "Ponnie got her."

"What?" said Trina. "There's no way that happened."

"Then why hasn't Mom texted us, huh?" said Tori. "Ponnie got her."

"Ponnie's in Nevada," said Trina.

"Oh come on," said Tori. "Nothing's that simple with Ponnie. She loves playing games. She probably went to Nevada to throw the police off her scent."

"Oh okay," said Trina. "So Ponnie broke out of prison this morning, right?"

"Yeah," said Tori.

Trina smiled. "Okay, so she breaks out this morning, goes to Nevada, gets on a plane, flies to Ireland, and is somehow able to beat Mom there, even though Mom has a head start on her. Is that what you're saying happened?"

"Well when you say it like that, it sounds dumb." Tori turned her face down to her pizza.

Jade grinned. "So, how's everyone enjoying the pizza?"


	4. Chapter 4

Tori was staring over Trina's shoulder as her older sister sat on the West family's couch, looking at her phone. Trina huffed and rolled her eyes as her sister did this. "Tori, can you stop trying to read my phone?"

"Can you just try calling Mom?" said Tori.

Trina turned around to face her sister. "Tori, she'll call us once she's settled in."

"Her flight landed hours ago," said Tori. "She's had plenty of time to settle in."

Trina sighed. "Look, this may be hard to hear, but-"

"But why don't you text her?" said Tori. "Or call her? Or call grandma and grandpa and ask if she's arrived? All it'll take you is like a minute. Why can't you do that?"

"Tori, I know you're stressed," said Trina. "And when you're stressed, your imagination runs wild. The thing is, Mom's probably fine."

"Why'd you say probably?" said Tori.

"She's definitely fine," said Trina. "I meant definitely."

"Then why hasn't she called us?" said Tori.

Trina bit her lip and paused. "Maybe she has bad reception? Have you thought about that?"

"Yeah, that makes sense," said Tori.

Trina put a hand on Tori's shoulder. "See Tori, Mom probably wants to call us, but can't."

"Why wouldn't she want to call us?" said Tori.

"Exactly," said Trina. "You're getting worked up over nothing. Now how about we watch TV?"

"No," said Tori. "I don't feel like watching TV."

"Are you sure?" said Trina. " _The Wood_ 's on."

" _The Wood?_ " said Tori. "But I thought that got cancelled."

"No," said Trina. "They found some other kids to star in it."

"Huh," said Tori. "Now I'm curious. Like, how'd they explain why we aren't in it anymore?"

"Well let's watch and see if they explain it," said Trina.

"I thought you didn't want to watch the show because they didn't cast you?" said Tori.

"Oh well it's different now that you guys aren't on the show," said Trina. "I figured I'd check it out."

"Okay." Tori sat down on the couch and Trina flipped through the channels until she found the one that showed _The Wood_. She found it just as it finished showing the opening credits. The show then cut to a group of teenagers sitting around a couch, all with bored expressions on their faces. Then a guy walked in. Tori raised an eyebrow. "Is it just me or does he look like Beck? Like if Beck got a haircut I couldn't tell the two apart."

Trina nodded. "I know what you mean. Do you think this guy's single?"

As soon as she said that, the cast turned to their friend and spoke. "Hey Becket."

"Is that guy's name Becket?" said Tori.

"Yeah," said Trina. "Isn't he dreamy?"

"That's like two letters off of Beck," said Tori. "Like, I can't be the only one here who thinks that's weird."

"Now that you mention it, it does seem weird that there'd be another guy who looks like Beck who also has a similar name," said Trina.

"It's not just him," said Tori, pointing to the screen. "She looks like Jade and he looks like Andre."

On the screen, Becket went over to the boy who looked like Andre and grabbed him by the shoulders. A panicked look came over the guy who looked like Andre's face. "Wow! Wow! What's wrong with you?"

Becket lifted the boy who looked like Andre off the couch. He glared into the boy's face. "Don't play dumb with me Anders! I know what you did with Jadelyn and I don't like it."

Anders turned to the girl who looked like Jade. "Jadelyn, you told?"

"I had to," said Jadelyn. "My Daddy always told me not to lie."

"Anders? Jadelyn?" said Tori. "This is getting weird. Did they just replace us with people that look like us, give them similar names, and hope no one would notice?"

"Looks like it," said Trina.

Tori turned to Trina. "And you didn't notice it?"

"Well they're really your friends," said Trina. "I'm not as close to them as you are."

"Trina!" said Tori.

"And you know I don't watch this show that often," said Trina. "Just every now and then. Once a week."

"Wait, so they must've gotten someone to replace me?" said Tori.

"Probably," said Trina.

"This is so weird," said Tori.

"We can watch something else," said Trina.

"No, no," said Tori. "Let's keep watching. I want to see who they got to replace me."

They didn't have to wait long. Soon a girl who looked like Tori walked in. "Hi guys."

"Hi Toria," said everyone in unison.

"Toria? Toria?" said Tori. "That's not even a real name."

"So today I've got a special treat for you," said Toria.

"Is it your muffins?" said Jadelyn. "Because those made me sick."

"Hey," said Anders. "Those muffins were delicious!"

"No, no, it's not my muffins," said Toria. "I brought a new friend. Here she is. Her name's Bonnie."

Tori's jaw dropped. "What."

Bonnie walked on screen. She was a brunette with big glasses. She also wore an ugly brown sweater and was hunched over while she walked. "Hi guys, I'm Bonnie."

"That's Ponnie," said Tori.

"I think she's called Bonnie," said Trina.

"No, that's Crazy Ponnie," said Tori.

"Oh yeah," said Trina. "She's supposed to be Crazy Ponnie. But she was never on the show."

"No, she is Crazy Ponnie," said Tori. "She looks exactly like her."

"That's the magic of television," said Trina. "They probably used a lot of make up on her."

"There's no way that she looks that way just because of make up," said Tori.

"Okay," said Trina. "She's had plastic surgery. People have done crazier things to get the part."

"Yeah, I'm sure people have do crazy things to get on TV," said Tori. "Like break out of jail."

"Come on," said Trina. "You're saying Ponnie broke out of jail and got a job on a reality show just to mess with you. Isn't that a little crazy, and selfish?"

"Selfish?" said Tori. "An insane criminal is out to get me and I'm being selfish for thinking she's trying to mess with me?"

"Yeah," said Trina. "Maybe she did that all to mess with me."

"Aha!" said Tori, pointing at the TV. "So you admit that's Ponnie."

"No," said Trina. "I think you're just acting paranoid."

"Paranoid! Paranoid!" said Tori. "This isn't even the craziest thing she's done to mess with me. And how else do you explain why they included Ponnie in the show? Hmmm?"

"They read about it in the news," said Trina.

"Read about it in the news?" said Tori. "That actually makes sense."

At that moment, the show cut to a shot of of Bonnie, who was talking to the camera. "See I'm just pretending to be Toria's friend. I'll get in good with her and when she least expects it, BAM!"

"She coming for me!" said Tori, who jumped off the couch.

"No, it's just a dumb show," said Trina, motioning to her sister. "Come back, we can watch something else."

"No, no," said Tori, walking out of the living room and up the stairs. "I think I'm going to turn in early."

Tori made her way up the stairs and to Jade's room. When she got there, she saw the door to it was closed. Tori gingerly knocked on the door. She could hear Jade's voice coming from inside. "Come in."

Tori opened the door and saw Jade lying on her bed. Her arms were crossed on her chest. Her eyes were wide open and glued to the ceiling. This ended up giving her the appearance of a vampire from one of those old horror movies. Tori smiled. "Hey, I was just thinking of going to bed early. You know, it's been a long day."

"Sure, I understand," said Jade, pointing to the section of floor where Tori would sleep. The sleeping bag Jade had mentioned was laid out there. True to Jade's word, it was too small for Tori to sleep comfortably and had a few holes in it. "I hope you like your sleeping bag. It's the best I could get you."

"I'm sure it is," said Tori.

"Also, do you want a pillow?" said Jade.

"Sure, that'd be nice," said Tori.

"Well we don't have," said Jade. "Sorry."

"I'm sure you are," said Tori.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Jade.

"Don't play dumb with me," said Tori. "I know what you've been doing."

"I gave you somewhere safe to hide from Ponnie," said Jade.

"Not because you wanted to," said Tori.

"What are you implying?" said Jade, who got off her bed. "I volunteered to let you stay at my place."

"And I'm sure you did it out of the kindness of your heart," said Tori.

"And where else would you go?" said Jade. "Do you want to stay at Robbie?"

"Maybe not at Robbie's house, but maybe with Andre," said Tori. "Or maybe with Beck. Hey, if I were at Beck's house, do you think he would make me sleep on the floor?"

Before she could even register what was happening, Jade grabbed Tori and threw her down on her bed. "Take it back."

"Take what back Jade?" said Tori, an innocent smile creeping onto her face. "I'm just saying that Beck probably wouldn't mind having us at his house. He might even enjoy it."

"Take it back!" said Jade.

Tori's voice deepened to imitate Beck. "There's no way I'm letting you sleep on the floor Tori. Here, you can stay in my bed."

Jade glared down at Tori, her face turning red. "Okay, that's it. The kid gloves are coming off."

"Kid gloves?" said Tori. "What, you've been treating us kindly? Is that how you treat all your guests?"

"I welcomed you into our home," said Jade. "I treated you with kindness and civility."

"You made me sleep on the floor," said Tori.

"I let you have my sleeping bag!" said Jade.

"It has holes in it!" said Tori.

"I can't help that!" said Jade. "It's been awhile since me Dad took me camping."

"Oh yeah, you're big bad Dad," said Tori. "It's always his fault. It's either him or your Mom."

"Careful Vega," said Jade. "Don't say something I'll make you regret."

"Like what Jade?" said Tori. "Like how you've had a normal childhood?"

"How dare you," said Jade.

"I dare," said Tori. "You're not the only one whose parents got divorced. You're not the only one whose parents ignore you. And you know what, not all of those people act like you. When Trina had to get her wisdom teeth taken out, my parents left town and dumped her on me. They expected me to take care of her all by myself. Right now I'm worried some maniac is going to get me and my Mom can't even be bothered to call. I'm nowhere near as bitter and angry as you. And I haven't tried to do half the stuff you've done to me. I haven't tried to get you expelled from Hollywood Arts. I haven't tried to drive you in the middle of the desert to bury you. I haven't tried to ruin the prom for everybody because of a scheduling mistake you had no control of."

"You did try to steal my boyfriend," said Jade.

"I didn't," said Tori. "I helped you get back together when you two broke up."

Jade got off Tori and sat on the edge of her bed, slumping forward. After a while, she turned to Tori. There was a dejected look on her face. "So you finally realized you Mom wants nothing to do with you?"

Tori jumped forward, grabbing Jade by the shoulders. Her fingernails dug into Jade's skin. Tori forced her down on the bed. Jade's hands flailed threw the air, a few hitting Tori. Tori wasn't fazed and continued to sit on Jade, pinning her to the bed. "Honestly, I can't say you don't deserve this."

Jade continued to flail her arms around. Tori dodged these blows. "Don't get too smug. I've been looking forward to this day since you came to Hollywood Arts."

"Oh I've been waiting for this just as long as you," said Tori, her hands moving down from Jade's shoulders to pin her arms down. "I was an idiot for thinking we could be friends."

"Well that's one thing we can agree on," said Jade with a smirk on her face.

Tori proceeded to knee Jade in her stomach. Jade squirmed under Tori's weight. She tried to push Tori off of her, to no avail. Tori smiled. "Oh I'm going to enjoy this."

"Wait, Tori," said Jade. "I love you."

"What?" said Tori.

Jade then shoved Tori off of her. Tori was able to regain her balance, preventing Jade from knocking her off the bed. Jade shot up, her hands grabbing Tori. Tori could feel Jade's fingernails tearing into her. She tried shoving Jade down, but she proved to be too strong. Jade dug her fingernails deeper into Tori. Tori could feel the pain shoot throughout her body. She winced as Jade continued to rip into her. Tori felt the urge to scream out in pain. She did everything to resist that urge. She wasn't going to give Jade the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. It was getting hard to do, as the pain was becoming unbearable. She fought back as Jade tried to push her off the bed. Tori quickly grabbed Jade's hair and pulled. "Ow!"

"Oh, is Jade hurt?" said Tori. "Why don't you got go to your Daddy and see if he can make it better?"

Jade smacked Tori across the face. "You'll pay for that."

"What is going on?" At that moment, Trina rushed into the room. She got in between the two girls, kocking Tori off the bed. She grabbed Jade, putting her arms around her. Jade struggled to get out from Trina, but couldn't.

Tori got off the floor and smiled. "Good job Trina. Now, hold her still while-"

"No," said Trina. "No more fighting."

"What?" said Tori. "You're taking her side?"

"That's right Tori," said Jade. "Listen to your sister."

"I'm not on anybody's side," said Trina. "I just need you two to stop fighting."

Tori looked at her sister in disbelief. "But she's-"

"I don't care what she did," said Trina. "She's letting us stay here."

"Thanks Trina," said Jade.

"But she's been awful to us," said Tori. "Not just today. As long as we've known her, she's been awful."

"Tori, you need to cool off," said Trina, who was struggling to keep Jade still. "Why don't you take a shower?"

"I don't want to take a shower," said Tori.

"There's no way I'm letting her use my shower," said Jade.

"You know what," said Tori. "That's actually a good idea."

"See," said Trina. "Take a nice warm shower and see if you feel better."

"I will," said Tori, reaching into her bag for some clothes she'd brought from home.

"And while you do that, I'll have a talk with Jade." Trina turned to face Jade, who groaned. "Fight all you want, but I'm not letting you go."

"Can't blame me for trying," said Jade.


	5. Chapter 5

Jade and Trina stood in the middle of the bedroom. Trina stood in front of the doorway, preventing Jade from leaving the room. Her eyes were fixed on Jade. Jade made of point of avoiding Trina's gaze, tilting her head away from her and pretending to look at a spot on the ceiling. Trina continued to stare at her. Jade turned to face Trina, looking right into Trina's eyes. She hoped this would shake Trina, but Trina was unfazed by Jade's glare. Jade looked down at her fingers, as if she were looking at something on her nails. "Jade."

Jade groaned. "What?"

"We need to talk," said Trina. "What was that fight with Tori all about?"

"I don't know," said Jade. "Your sister's had it in for me."

"Jade!" said Trina.

"Okay, it was something about a pillow," said Jade.

Trina raised an eyebrow. "What's this about a pillow?"

"I told Tori that I didn't have a pillow for her," said Jade. "Which is totally true. I only have the one and I'm not going to take one from my brother or my mom. And then Tori got all mad and started complaining about how her sleeping bag has holes in it. And you know that's not my fault. It's been years since I went camping."

"You expect me to believe that's what happened?" said Trina.

"Surprise, surprise," said Jade. "Of course you side with your sister."

"I'm siding with her because I know you," said Trina. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Jade looked at Trina. "Well..."

"Ha, ha," said Trina. "You know, Tori was right when she said you were awful to us."

"This is the thanks I get for taking you guys in?" said Jade.

"You can drop the act," said Trina. "You're not fooling anyone."

"What act?" said Jade. "You guys could've stayed with anyone else, but I volunteered to let you guys in my home, even though I didn't have to. You think I'd do that if I didn't want you guys around?"

Trina sighed. "Look, I know you have issues with my sister. But can you just pretend to get along with her? Dad's going to come home tomorrow. You literally have to tolerate her for less than a day. Can you handle that?"

Jade paused and thought for a moment. "Fine, I can do that."

"Great." Trina went to pat Jade on the shoulder, who flinched. "Sorry."

"Never touch me," said Jade.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted..." At that moment, Trina heard the sound of bushes rustling. "What's that?"

"Probably some animal," said Jade, but the sound of bushes rustling continued.

"Why isn't it stopping?" said Trina.

Jade shrugged. "Maybe it's stuck?"

"What if it's Ponnie?" said Trina.

"Seriously?" said Jade. "Looks like Tori rubbed off on you."

"What do you mean?" said Trina.

Jade adopted the southern accent she used to imitate Tori. "What if Ponnie's the reason dear old Mother isn't calling? What if Ponnie's hiding out there in the bushes? What if Ponnie's why that sweet kitten's stuck in the tree? You know, Ponnie isn't behind everything bad that happens."

"When someone tries to drive your sister insane and replace her, you can act as stone faced as you want," said Trina. "In the meantime, we've got to figure out what's in the bushes. You here that? Whatever it is, is still stuck there?"

Jade rolled her eyes. "Like I said, it's probably some animal that got stuck there."

"Awww," said Trina. "Well we should help it."

"No!" said Jade. "It's going to get out all by itself."

Yet, as they talked, the bushes still rustled. "Okay, well whatever it is sounds like it's stuck there."

Jade sighed. "If you want to free it, be my guest."

"What if it's Ponnie?" said Trina.

Jade let out a groan that echoed throughout her house. "Enough with the Ponnie talk! Ponnie's in Nevada."

"Well I'm not going out there alone," said Trina, putting her hands on her hips.

"Fine," said Jade. "I'll go out there with you to show you there's no Ponnie. Happy?"

"Alright," said Trina. "I'll come with you."

"Knock yourself out," said Jade. "Better you than me. Tell me what you find."

"I'm not going out there by myself," said Trina. "What if Ponnie's out there? I need you to have my back."

"Fine." Jade and Trina left the room and went down the hallway. Trina went up to Jade and grabbed her arm. Jade pulled her arm away rapidly. "What did I say about touching me?"

Trina grabbed Jade's arm again. "Too bad. I'm not letting us get separated."

"You've got to be kidding me," said Jade.

"Nope," said Trina. "Ponnie's pretty clever. I'm not going to let her get the best of us."

"We don't even know if this is Ponnie!" said Jade.

"It doesn't hurt to be careful," said Trina.

Jade grit her teeth. "Okay. You can hold my hand, but if Ponnie isn't out there, you've got two seconds to let go of me."

"Sure." Jade held out her hand for Trina and the two made there way down the hallway. Truth be told, Jade didn't mind having Trina holding her hand. It was dark in her home and hard to navigate safely, even for Jade, who'd lived there for years. The only light was coming from the bathroom, where Tori was taking her shower. Oddly enough, Jade couldn't hear any noise coming from there, despite Tori taking her shower there. Granted, the walls were designed to absorb those sounds, it was weird that they didn't hear anything. The sound coming from outside on the other hand was pretty clear. In fact, it seemed to be getting louder. Jade started to wonder if maybe Trina was right. An animal wouldn't be making this much noise. Maybe it was a person. And if it was a person, what were they doing in the bushes? If they were just stuck, they would be calling for help. It was looking more and more like Trina might be right. Ponnie could be out there. Jade hadn't really face Ponnie the first time she'd shown up. She had other things on her mind. She knew Trina had faced Ponnie with her sister and beat her. If Tori could hold her own against Ponnie, surely Jade could do the same. "Why are you stopping?"

"Oh, did I stop," said Jade. "I was just trying to figure out where the noise is coming from."

"I'm pretty sure it's coming from the front yard," said Trina.

"Yeah, you're probably right," said Jade. "It's just, if this is Ponnie-"

"I thought you didn't believe Ponnie was here?" said Trina.

"I don't," said Jade. "I'm just saying if this is Ponnie, then what is she doing in the bushes?"

"Probably spying on us," said Trina.

"But it's night," said Jade. "We're supposed to be asleep. Why would she be watching us from the bushes if all that's happening is we're sleeping? And wouldn't she try to be more stealthy? She's making too much noise if she's trying to spy on us."

"So what do you think she's doing?" said Trina. "I mean if she's out there."

Jade scratched her chin. "Well this is all hypothetical, but what if she's making noise to lure us out and away from-"

At that moment, a door that was in front of them was flung open. Trina jumped, grabbing Jade. Both girls screamed. Something dark popped out from behind the door. "Jade? What's going on?"

"Get back in bed!" Jade's brother rushed back into his room, closing the door behind him. Jade turned to Trina. "Trina, you can only hold my hand."

"Okay." Trina let go of Jade's body, only holding onto her hand. The two continued down the staircase and to the front door. By that point, the noise had started to die down a bit. Jade could still hear the unmistakable sound of the bushes rustling, but it wasn't as loud as it had been. Maybe whoever was making those noise realized they were drawing attention to themselves and was trying to hide. If that was the case, they were doing a bad job at this. Jade put her hand on the doorknob, lingering there for a moment. She didn't want to make too much noise and alert whoever was out there. She turned to Trina, who was looking back behind them. "Hey Jade, do you guys have a flashlight?"

"We don't," said Jade. "Use your pear phone."

"I don't have the flashlight app," said Trina.

"So," said Jade. "Use the light from your screen."

"Oh," said Trina. "I get what you're saying."

"Finally." Jade gingerly opened the door and lead Trina out of her house. They turned towards where the noise was coming from. The two tiptoed their way across the lawn. As they got closer, Jade could see a bush that was shaking. Jade turned to Trina. "Get your pear phone out."

"I'm trying." Trina had her hand in her pocket, fumbling around as she tried to get her phone out.

"Hurry, I can see something in there." Jade turned back to the bush. She could see a dark silhouette near the bush. It was in the unmistakeable shape of a person. Whoever it was, one of their legs was stuck in the bush. Jade's heart started to race. She reached down and picked up a rock from the ground, tossing it at the silhouette. "You want some more of that!"

"Owwww!" The silhouette's voice was familiar to Jade.

Jade's eyes widened. "Sinjin?"

"Sinjin? Is that Sinjin?" Trina got her phone out of her pocket and shined the light from the screen at the bush, revealing that the silhouette was in fact Sinjin. His pant leg was caught in a root in the bush.

Sinjin turned to the two girls, an awkward smile on his face. "Hi ladies."

Jade let go of Trina's hand and took a step towards Sinjin. Her hands were turning into fists. "Sinjin, what are you doing here."

"I was out jogging and accidentally fell into your bushes," said Sinjin, as he tore his pant leg out of the bush. "I tripped you see."

"You jog?" said Jade. "Since when?"

"Since a long time ago," said Sinjin. "I was president of the jogging club."

"You aren't dressed for jogging." Trina pointed to Sinjin's clothes. She was right. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. These were the clothes Sinjin typically wore, but weren't the kind of clothes one would wear for exercise. "There's no way you can jog in that."

"Sure you can, watch." Sinjin turned away from the girls and darted across the lawn, Jade following in tow.

* * *

Tori dried her hair as she walked out of Jade's shower. The steam from her shower filled the room. Tori sighed. She had to admit, Trina was right. Tori was feeling better after her shower. No longer was she mad. She was now relaxed. All her stress about Jade, Ponnie, and her Mother had seemed to have evaporated. She also enjoyed getting to use Jade's stuff for once. This would be how Jade would pay her back. Tori especially enjoyed her scented soap. It smelled of lavender. She also made sure to use the orange flavored body wash. It was almost empty, so Tori took the liberty of finishing it off. Instead of throwing the empty tube away, she left it back where she found it, hoping Jade would try to use it and find it empty. Jade's shampoo and conditioner were also great. Tori's hair hadn't felt so soft and fluffy before. She was actually surprised that Jade had stuff this "girly". She'd expected Jade's soap to be brimstone scented and conditioner made from the blood of the unborn. For all her attempts to put on a dark exterior, Jade's stuff wasn't too different from Tori.

Tori wrapped a towel around her body and was about to leave the bathroom. She'd laid out some clothes in Jade's room. Hopefully Jade had left those alone. However, as Tori was about to open the door, she heard voices from outside. Tori hunched down and put her ear near the door so she could hear who was talking. The voices sounded like Trina and Jade. Tori continued to stay by the door, wanting to hear what they were saying. She didn't want to interrupt them if they were talking about her. She could clearly hear Trina's voice. "Wow, Sinjin sure is a creep."

What about Sinjin? What was he doing. Tori then heard Jade. "Shut up! This all is your fault. You're the reason why we had to go out there."

"My fault?" said Trina. "So you're fine with Sinjin being out there, hiding out in your bushes?"

"N...no," said Jade. "It's just...it's just I thought Ponnie was out there."

"Same here," said Trina.

"Yeah," said Jade. "And you got me all worked up and made me think she was waiting in the bushes to attack us."

"Well, she wasn't," said Trina. "And are you saying Sinjin being in your bushes is any better?"

"Yes," said Jade. "Sinjin's a creep, but he's a harmless creep. Ponnie's a crazy psycho. I don't want to deal with that."

"Well I guess this is really Tori's fault," said Trina. "She's the one who got me all worried about Ponnie coming after us."

Tori's jaw dropped as she heard this. How could Trina try to blame her for being scared of Ponnie? Jade seemed to agree. "Oh come on, don't try to blame this on Tori."

Tori bit her tongue to stop herself from thanking Jade. She didn't want the other girls knowing she'd been listening to them. Trina spoke next. "I'm not trying to blame Tori. It's just this whole thing has been stressful for me."

"For you?" said Jade.

"Yeah," said Trina. "I've been trying to be Tori's rock through out this whole ordeal."

"You have?" said Jade.

"I have," said Trina. "You know, I've been trying to calm her down and stuff, but I don't think it's working. She's still stressed, and Mom won't call, and...oh I'm getting a call."

"From who?" said Jade.

"The police." Tori's heart started to beat faster. Why were the police calling. "Hello, this is Trina Vega. Uh-huh. Wait, really? You did? Wow, that's great news. I'll be sure to tell her."

Tori then heard the sound of someone knocking on the bathroom door. "Yes?"

"Tori," said Trina. "I've got something to tell you."

"Okay, just give me a second to get ready." After waiting for enough time to convince Trina and Jade that she'd gotten ready, she opened the door. Outside, she could see Trina and Jade standing outside. Trina was practically bouncing with manic energy. Jade on the other hand appeared apathetic. Her arms were crossed and a neutral expression was on her face. However, Tori noticed that the corners of Jade's mouth looked like they were about to form a smile. "What is it Trina?"

"They caught her!" said Trina.

"They caught her?" said Tori. "You mean they caught Ponnie."

Trina shook her head. "Yeah. The police just called. They arrested her in Las Vegas."

"So it looks like she was in Nevada," said Jade.

"It's the craziest thing," said Trina. "Las Vegas is where the shoot _The Wood_ now. Apparently she auditioned for a part on the show."

"So I was right?" said Tori. "I knew that girl looked too much like Ponnie. But why would she try to sneak onto the show?"

"Apparently she thought you were still part of the show," said Trina.

"So it looks like you're safe," said Jade. "No need to worry about Ponnie anymore."

"Yeah, you're right." The thought hit Tori hard, sending waves of joy through her body. She jumped forward and hugged Jade. "Oh, it's finally over!"

"Uh Tori," said Jade. "You're kind of...you're only wearing a towel."

"Oh right." Tori stepped away from Jade. "Sorry."

"That's fine," said Jade. "Just put some clothes on and you can do it again."

"Really?" said Tori.

"Sure," said Jade.

"Okay," said Tori as she skipped towards Jade's room to get changed.

* * *

Afterwards, Jade seemed to have a change of heart, telling Tori she didn't have to sleep on the floor. She could share the bed with Jade. "Really?"

"Yeah," Jade had said. "There's plenty of room for two people. We'll have to be close, but we can make it work."

She wasn't wrong. Tori was hanging off the bed. Jade moved over to give her more room and let Tori rest her head on her chest. Tori clutched her Cuddle-Me Cathy Doll. Oddly enough, Jade didn't try to make fun of her for still sleeping with a doll. At that moment, she could tell that Jade was still awake based off of her breathing. Tori looked up, to see that Jade's eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling. Tori bit her lip. "Hey Jade."

"What?" Jade continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Thanks," said Tori. "Thanks for everything. I know how hard this was for you and I'd like to say I'm grateful that you took us in."

Jade looked down at Tori. "Look Tori, I'm sorry. Not just for tonight, but for how I've treated you in general. I know it probably won't mean much to you, but I really do regret it."

"You don't need to say that," said Tori. "I know you-"

"No, I really do," said Jade. "You're right. I'm awful to you, and I don't mean to."

"It's not just you," said Tori. "I've done stuff to you that I'm not proud of."

"Not as bad as what I've done," said Jade.

Tori shrugged. "True, but I'm not saint. I get why you'd hate me."

"That's the thing," said Jade. "I don't hate you. It's something else."

"What is it then?" said Tori.

"I don't know," said Jade. "But I like you. I really do. It's just there's something else I feel and I don't know what it is."

"Okay," said Tori. "Well it's not too late. We can still be friends and whatever you want us to be. I mean, why would you let us stay here if you didn't like us."

Jade looked away from Tori. "Because I didn't want you to be with Beck."

"Fair enough," said Tori. "But you still let us stay here even after our fight."

Jade snorted. "That's because it was the right thing to do."

"That's right," said Tori. "You were willing to do the right thing for us. That's got to count for something, right?"

"And what was it even for?" said Jade. "Ponnie wasn't even in the same state."

"True," said Tori. "But you didn't know that."

Jade smiled and looked back to Tori. "Look Tori, you can try to spin it anyway you want it, but it doesn't change how bad I've been."

"Sorry," said Tori.

Jade put an arm around Tori and closed her eyes. "But it's sweet that you tried."

Tori hugged Jade, her face resting on her chest, and closed her eyes too. She placed her Cuddle-Me Cathy between her and Jade. "Anything for you."


End file.
